


Over The Moon

by UndeadRobby



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Hospitals, M/M, Rated T for language, Rich Goranski's Lisp, Suicidal Thoughts, alternatively titled 'rich deserves to be happy dammit', and michael's still crushing on jeremy, basically rich is crushing hard on michael, bit of one-sided boyf riends, briefly, does this count as slow burn, expensive headphones, i know it says 'gay' but like i'm bisexual and i tend to call myself gay 'cause it's easier, mentioned jeremy/christine, rich is bisexual, rich's dad is human garbage, rich's pov third person, starting where the musical leaves off, subtle ones but they're there, this was gonna be sad but then i just couldn't do it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 04:51:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12425382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndeadRobby/pseuds/UndeadRobby
Summary: "And uh.. thanks.""Oh, dude, you're welcome, but I know it tastes like shit, you don't have to act like-""No, I mean- shit, Mike, thank you so much. For everything. I've been nothing but a dick to you since Sophomore year, and yeah, I know you did it all for Jeremy, but it saved my ass too, so.. thank you. Seriously.""You're welcome, Rich, dude, really. Don't mention it." He smiled. It was warm, and inviting, and Rich felt like he could get lost in those eyes, and the curves of that smile-Woah, Rich. That's pretty gay...wait a minute, it's okay to be gay now, no more Squip to say it's uncool. So, hell yeah, where were we? Michael's smile. It was like the light of the sun, and Rich felt like he'd finally be happy if he could just see that smile every day for the rest of his life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is like my favorite ship and I've read practically all of the content for it, so all I was left to do was to make some of my own. Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Rich deserves to be happy just let it happen it's okay

The bright white of the fluorescent lights in the hospital ceiling glared down at the boy lying beneath them, illuminating the bright red of his burnt flesh. Rich sat up, wincing at the pain that shot across his body. He hadn't thought about the consequences. He hadn't meant to survive the fire. But fuck, this hurts. Why'd he fuckin' do that?

 

Rich sighed. He knew very well why, and he knew if he had to go through it again, he'd still light the fire. He’d weighed all his options. He’d made the best decision there was to make in that situation. He’d gone over this again and again, and it never made him feel any better.

 

He looked at the empty chair beside the hospital bed. Jeremy had been released about a week ago, and Michael had promised that he'd visit again, but Rich knew better. Michael was only coming to see Jeremy, and he only talked to Rich when Jeremy was asleep. He tried to hope, but it was just so pointless - no one was coming to see him. Michael and Jeremy had told him what was going on at school without him, the way the students talked about him like he was some kind of psycho. No one could understand what it felt like, to have been controlled for that long, the torture those things put you through - except maybe Jeremy. Jeremy would get it, he'd had one long enough to suffer its awful effects.

 

_Thanks to you._

 

Rich's shoulders drooped. Right. All the suffering was his fault. If he'd left Jeremy alone that day, he wouldn't have had a Squip at all. The cast of the play wouldn't have had Squips. He could have prevented so much suffering, why did he listen when it told him Jeremy might want a Squip too, why had he been too scared back in Freshman year just to-

 

Rich's thoughts were cut off by the door clicking open, and someone shuffling in.

 

"Michael?"

 

"Yo Rich!" The taller boy walked in, plopping down in the chair beside Rich's bed, and dropping his backpack onto the floor beside it.

 

"What are you doing here?"

 

It came out harsher than he'd intended, but Michael didn't seem to notice.

 

"I told you I'd visit, didn't I?" Michael dug into his backpack, pulling out a bottle of Mountain Dew Red. "I know your Squip's already gone, but I remembered you hadn't actually gotten a chance to taste this - so I thought I'd bring you some!" He held it out to Rich, and Rich stared at it for a moment before taking it.

 

Rich turned the bottle over in his hands. The label was faded from age, and he guessed it had probably gone flat long ago. "Why are you being so nice to me?" He winced. Michael had promised not to make fun of his lisp, but that didn't make Rich any less embarrassed. Why shouldn't he make fun of him? It's not like Rich hadn't endlessly taken the piss out of Michael for, well, everything.

 

Michael's smile faded a little, but came back almost as quickly. "Because you're my friend, Rich. People are nice to their friends, right?"

 

Rich laughed. "Right, duh." He cracked open the bottle, and took a drink. As he expected, it was flat, and the flavor was nothing to get excited about. "Dude. It tastes like ass"

 

"Yeah, I know. It's still pretty awesome though, right?"

 

Rich could feel the excitement coming off Michael. It was contagious. "Yeah, man, I mean, not only is this the shit that saved all our asses, but you managed to find it after it'd been discontinued for like, 30 years? Holy fuck."

 

"I know, right?!"

 

"Like, that's pretty fucking awesome Mike. And uh.. thanks."

 

"Oh, dude, you're welcome, but I know it tastes like shit, you don't have to act like-"

 

"No, I mean- shit, Mike, thank you so much. For everything. I've been nothing but a dick to you since Sophomore year, and yeah, I know you did it all for Jeremy, but it saved my ass too, so.. thank you. Seriously."

 

"You're welcome, Rich, dude, really. Don't mention it." He smiled. It was warm, and inviting, and Rich felt like he could get lost in those eyes, and the curves of that smile-

 

_Woah, Rich. That's pretty gay._

 

..wait a minute, it's okay to be gay now, no more Squip to say it's uncool. So, hell yeah, where were we? Michael's smile. It was like the light of the sun, and Rich felt like he'd finally be happy if he could just see that smile every day for the rest of his life.

 

He realized he was staring, and felt warmth rise up in his cheeks. Shit, how long had it been? He glanced up at the clock. 4:15, but it's not like he looked when he started staring, so that wasn't really helpful information. He looked back at Michael, still smiling, but now there was something playful in his eyes.

 

"Something the matter, Richie? You got a little distracted there."

 

_..Fuck it._

 

"Sorry Mikey, got a little lost in your eyes just there, is all."

 

This time it was Michael's turn to blush.

 

"Dude, that's gay."

 

Rich matched Michael's joking tone. "Yeah, just like you, right? Don't think I didn't notice that rainbow patch on your hoodie, I knew what I was doing when I wrote 'boyfriends' on you and Heere's backpacks."

 

Michael blushed deeper at the mention of Jeremy. Anyone could tell he was head over heels for the skinnier boy, and Rich started to feel bad for bringing it up - Jeremy was happy with Christine, and Rich was sure Michael felt a bit of guilt over his crush. He decided to change the subject.

 

"So, did you just come here to give me an expired soda and look cute?"

 

"No, actually, I brought- ..you think I'm cute?" Michael's face flushed ever darker.

 

"Duh, I mean look at you. What did you bring?"

 

"Richard Goranski are you flirting with me?"

 

"Maybe. What did you bring?"

 

"Uh, right, shit," Michael dug through his backpack, "here it is!" He pulled out a DVD case. "I thought we could watch a movie while we're hanging out here. I brought Shrek 2!"

 

Rich laughed. "Oh, hell yes!"


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't until December that Rich was finally let out of the hospital, with a bag full of medicine and instructions on how to care for his burns. He told the nurses he would wait for his dad outside, and began the walk back to his house. His dad wouldn't come. He'd visited twice in the month and a half he'd been in the hospital - once to yell at him about how much the extended hospital stay was costing him, and once to berate him for not getting better faster and to ask when he'd get back home. The long walk left Rich with plenty of time to think.

 

He found himself shivering. The sun was out, but in the middle of December, that doesn’t matter too much, and Rich was walking home in nothing but a tank top and a pair of sweatpants. What he'd worn to the party was burnt to almost nothing, and he couldn't take the hospital gown home, but Michael had been kind enough to drop by his house when his dad wasn't home to snag him some clothes, after he'd told him where the spare key was. Would it have killed him to grab a jacket?

 

Rich wasn't sure if he even knew where his jackets would be, or if they'd still fit. He'd only really worn tank tops and the occasional T-shirt since the Squip had started changing him. He couldn't help but feel exposed, out in the chilly December air in such little clothing. God, what he must look like, covered practically head to toe in awful burns.

 

Maybe he should've called Michael for a ride.

 

Not that he was self-conscious - he was just cold, and the heater in Michael's P. T. Cruiser would be way, way nicer than the icy wind. He could feel his skin drying out, and considered stopping to slather on one of the topical medications he'd been prescribed.

 

Eventually, he found himself back on his front doorstep. His dad's car wasn't there, and Rich briefly worried that he'd actually gone to the hospital to get him, and would be pissed that he drove out there for nothing. He shook himself of the thought. Of course that's not what he's doing. He's probably out buying more booze.

 

He fished his keys out of his bag, and let himself in. He nearly gagged. The place reeked of alcohol - had the smell always been this bad? Or was he just so used to it before, he didn't notice?

 

Rich held his breath as he crossed the family room and made his way up the stairs to his bedroom. Walking in, he took a deep breath. The smell wasn't so bad up here, but he still found himself sliding the window open despite the chilly air outside. Sitting on his bed, he pulled a blanket around his shoulders. Much better.

 

Looking around his room, he spotted a phone - his phone - on his desk. No way! He was sure he'd lost it in the fire, didn't he have it at the party?

 

He realized he hadn't had it at the party. He could vaguely recall looking for it, wondering if he'd set it down somewhere. He picked it up, and turned the screen-

 

Oh. It was dead. Of course.

 

He plugged it in, and let it charge for a few minutes before getting impatient and turning it on. It seemed like his phone buzzed for five minutes straight, as it struggled to catch up with all the calls and texts he'd missed while he was in the hospital. Scrolling through, most of them were people asking if he was okay, asking if such and such rumor was true about the fire. 'Did you really run away to Bombay?' ..Really? Rich scoffed. None of these people cared. They hadn't even bothered to visit him.

 

Nothing from Jake. Unsurprising, but it still stung a little. Jake's his best friend-

 

Was. Was his best friend. Then he burnt down his house. Made him break both his legs. Was the reason for the computer in his brain that told him to walk on those broken legs.

 

Rich sighed, and texted Michael.

 

'eyy mikey i made it home from the hospital'

 

'oh dude you're home?? sweet'

 

'ya the nurses let me go this morning lol, had to lug like 10000 pounds of medicine with me'

 

'you didn't walk, did you?'

 

_Shit._

 

'no of course not lmao, who do u think i am?'

 

'who drove you home then?'

 

_Double shit._

 

He couldn't think of a convincing lie fast enough. Briefly, he wished he had the Squip back to tell him what to say, then chided himself for it. No. You don't want it back.

 

'rich how'd you get home??'

 

_Sigh._

 

'uh i lied i totally walked home'

 

'rich you fucker i would have driven you!!!'

 

'mikey you're at school'

 

'so??? i'd ditch to take you home what the fuck goranski'

 

'sorry bro, next time'

 

'there better god damn not be a 'next time' to drive you home from the hospital, short stack'

 

'no promises mikey, now get back to class'

 

'ugh, fine, but this convo is not over'

 

Rich found himself smiling. One of those people cared.


	3. Chapter 3

The day he was dreading finally came. Rich would have to go back to school. He had barely slept the night before from the anxiety, so there he was, lying awake at 5:45 in the morning. He had to get up to get ready in 15 minutes, so no time to go back to sleep, even if he could. He sat up, groaning. Maybe he could just drop out, and never go back. Or transfer to another school.

 

But then he'd never seen Michael again. And he'd managed to decline Michael's offer for a ride, after promising he'd go.

 

Not to mention the mountain of homework he had to turn in. Michael and Jeremy had been kind enough to keep bringing him his assignments, and Michael had even helped him through a few of them he'd struggled with without the help of the Squip. He didn’t want all that work to go to waste.

 

_Suck it up, Rich._

 

He dragged himself to his feet, and walked to the bathroom, taking a moment to look himself over in the mirror. He'd re-dyed the streak in his hair, and trimmed the singed ends short. Except for a patch on his cheek that ran down his neck, his face remained clear of the scarring, though the rest of him hadn't fared too well. He didn't want to think about the rest of him.

 

Pushing the thoughts away, he brushed his teeth and busied himself getting ready for school.

 

A sweatshirt felt out of character for him, but he'd rather wear that than another tank top.

 

Not because of the scars, he told himself. Because it's cold.

 

 _Right_.

 

He didn't put a shirt on underneath the hoodie - the loose fabric was more comfortable than having a tight t-shirt rubbing on his burns all day.

 

Finally ready, he grabbed his backpack and slipped past his dad, asleep on the couch after having passed out drunk the night before, and out the door.

 

School wasn’t too far from his house, thankfully, so he didn’t have to walk too far, but since he’d started getting ready early, he wound up at the school early, with nothing to do. He didn’t really feel like he had any friends to hang with anymore. Truthfully, he didn’t really feel like he’d had any to begin with – he hadn’t been authentic with any of them, it was always the Squip telling him how to be cool, what to say, what to do. No one here knew the real him. No one here even remembered he’d gone here Freshman year. He was still living the lie that he was a new student starting Sophomore year, so people wouldn’t associate him with who he used to be.

 

_Used to be._

 

So who was he now?

 

He’d gone back, in some ways. His lisp was back. He didn’t know what to say in social situations, besides lingering thoughts of what the Squip would’ve wanted him to say.

 

But in other ways, there was no going back. He’d experienced too much to revert to the scrawny, terrified little Freshman he’d been. But the Richard Goranski that the other students at Middle Borough High knew wasn’t real. How was he going to face them, to explain to them that everything they knew about him was a lie, that he _wasn’t_ really cool and that he couldn’t ever act the way he had before because he’d been _told_ to act that way, and there wasn’t a voice in his head helping him anymore-

 

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Rich,” came Michael’s sweet voice, “buddy, you alright there? I’m glad to see you made it, ‘cause I woulda come after you if you hadn’t, but you look like you were zoning out hard, everything okay?”   
  
Rich fought the instinct to brush him off and say he was fine. He spoke bitterly. “Yeah, Michael, just peachy. Thinking about how I don’t have any real friends because all anyone knows about me is what the Squip made me into.”

 

Michael slipped his arm around Rich’s shoulders, gently. “C’mon, dude, you know that’s not true-“

 

“Mike, name one person who’s gonna stay friends with me after what I did. Who’d _want_ to be friends with my lisping, uncool ass.”

 

“Me.”

 

Rich’s stomach dropped. He hadn’t meant to imply that he didn’t think he and Michael were friends, he hadn’t even thought about it. “Oh, Mike, I- of course I didn’t mean you, I know you’re my friend, dude-“

 

Michael just smiled. “I know, dude. I’m just messing with you. Nobody hates you, I promise. They all really miss you.”

 

Michael started walking into the school, pulling Rich along, still with an arm around him. “Nice to see you fixed up your hair. It looks good on you.”

 

Rich flushed. “thanks, Mikey. I figured if I didn’t, nobody would recognize me.”   
  
“Oh, please, Rich, you’re totally recognizable-“

 

“Not when I’m wearing a hoodie for the first time in two years, and you can’t see my ripped arms”

 

Michael laughed. God, that laugh could probably cure cancer. Rich laughed too, feeling the tension leech from his shoulders. Why had he even been worried?

 

Then he realized where Michael was leading him. To the spot in the hall where he’d said the ‘Squip squad’ had started hanging out. His mouth went dry, and he felt his heart leap into his throat. He saw them all standing there chatting, Jeremy, Jenna, Brooke, Chloe, Christine. Jake. In a wheelchair.

 

_Because of me._

 

“HEY GUYS!” Michael shouted across the hall. “LOOK WHO FINALLY DECIDED TO JOIN US?”

 

They all looked over at once, and stared straight at Rich. His stomach did a flip, and he felt like if he moved, he’d puke. Briefly, he remembered he’d skipped breakfast, and there wouldn’t be anything to puke up, before he heard the others all start shouting at once and rushing over.

 

_Rich, who the fuck do you think you are showing up here after what you did?_

_What the fuck is wrong with you?_

_Why didn’t you just die in the fire?_

_Why couldn’t you have tried to kill yourself without destroying my house?_

_Why didn’t-_ “..you answer my texts, dude?”

 

“Rich! We missed you so much!!”

 

“Oh, man, it’s been so long, how’ve you been?”

 

Rich blinked. He’d really been expecting a lot more berating.

 

“I, uh, um.”

 

“Guys, guys,” Michael’s voice again. Rich found himself relaxing a little, brought back to the present by the solid feeling of Michael’s arm around his shoulders. He leaned into him unconsciously. “One at a time, you’re gonna overwhelm him.”

 

They were quiet for a moment, unsure of who should speak first. Jake ended up breaking the silence.  


“Rich, dude, we’ve missed you so much. The group’s not the same without you. I’m so glad you’re back.”

 

Rich could only stare back at him. He barely registered the fact that, sitting in the wheelchair, Jake was shorter than him. He’d have laughed if he weren’t so stunned.

 

“Jake, dude, I- look, I gotta talk to you, man, about the party-“ Rich found himself practically stuttering, stumbling over his words, hyper-aware of what he was saying, avoiding the letter S at all costs.

 

“Rich, don’t even worry about it, okay? I forgive you. Michael and Jeremy have told us all about the Squip thing, I totally get it, I’d have lost my mind too. I barely had it for a few minutes, and it made me walk on my broken legs! You had yours for how long?”

 

“uh.. I got it at the beginning of 10th grade.”

 

“Two fuckin’ years, dude! I’m surprised you didn’t burn down my house sooner.”

 

Rich laughed at that. It was such a relief, that Jake didn’t hate him. He’d thought for sure, he would.

 

_He should._

 

He pushed that thought back. They needed to talk more about it. “But, what about you, Jakey D? Where are you living now?”

 

“Insurance paid for the house, and since the ‘rents are still MIA it was paid out to me! So I bought a new house! It’s smaller, sure, but I actually like it a lot better. Single-story. I get to sleep in the master bedroom. It’s awesome!”

 

“Aren’t you- aren’t you, like, mad at me?”

 

“I was, at first, but then I realized, y’know? You’re still my best friend, Rich. Yeah, it sucks I lost my house, and a lot of my stuff, and the Doctors said I can probably never play sports again, but like, all those extra curriculars were just me filling my life with distractions, ‘cause of my absent parents and all. And like, the house burning down kinda taking all those memories with it. That’s what my therapist told me. So, I’m cool with it. I’ll be able to walk again soon, and as long as we’re still cool, that’s all I could want.”

 

Rich felt himself tearing up. “Jake.. dude.. I’m- God, I’m relieved. We’re definitely cool.”

 

Jake smiled. “Awesome!”

 

Michael squeezed Rich’s shoulder, and Rich relaxed further into him.

 

Jenna seemed to notice how close they were, and squinted her eyes at them. “Are you guys, like, dating, or something?”

 

They both blushed, and Rich pulled away from Michael’s side. “No way, dude. Like, Michael’s really cute and all but we’re just friends-“ he covered his mouth. Shit, shit, shit.

 

The others were silent, glancing between each other.

 

Rich started to feel like he’d explode if someone didn’t say something, but the _last_ thing he wanted was anyone to say anything about his voice.  
  
“Rich, since when did you have a lisp-?” Chloe began, but Michael cut her off.  
  
“Leave him alone, okay, guys?” He looked down at Rich. “He’s always talked like that, the Squip just suppressed it. It’s a touchy subject, and I’ll fight any of you who make him feel bad about it.

 

Rich silently thanked heaven for Michael, for being so cool. He at least had someone he could really trust.   
  
But Jenna wasn’t about to let the distraction take her off course. “Alright, whatever, but you guys were like, practically cuddling just now, and don’t think I didn’t see you blush when I mentioned it, there’s something there between you-“   
  
“Drop it, Jenna. We’re not dating.” Rich hadn’t meant to sound that angry, but it shut Jenna up. It’s not like he wouldn’t _want_ to date Michael. He just knew that his heart was somewhere else. He glanced at Jeremy. Jeremy, who was dating Christine. Jeremy, who’d never be good enough for Michael anyways. Sure he was an okay dude, and they’d bonded – more than digitally – after the whole Squip thing, but he just didn’t understand what Michael saw in him.

 

After some awkward questions that Rich brushed off because he wasn’t quite ready to talk about why he started the fire, and some pushing from Michael to change the subject, the group found their conversation easily, and talked about school, the hottest gossip, and caught Rich up to speed on how school had been going without him.

 

Rich’s worries about not fitting back in with the group started to fade away. It was reassuring, that even though their experience with the Squips had been short, they _understood_ , at the very least, enough to forgive him.


	4. Chapter 4

It took less than a week for Rich to slip back into the group’s easy rhythm, and all his worries about them hating him washed away. He still got looks from some of the other students, especially when he got his confidence back and started wearing short sleeves again inside of the heated building of the school – but he still had his reputation behind him, and a glare usually got anyone looking at him weird off his back. And if that didn’t work, he knew he had people to call on for help.

 

Wednesday night, the squad had decided to hang out at Michael’s, for pizza and videogames. They spent hours hanging in Michael’s basement after school, eating and talking and laughing without a care in the world.

 

Rich found himself in Michael’s basement, alone. The others had all gone home after their little hangout – Michael had insisted they not refer to it as a party, for a few reasons – and Michael had gone to the bathroom.

 

Rich fiddled with the PlayStation controller in his hands, watching the game’s paused screen. It was some kind of racing game, he didn’t remember the name of it. He and Michael had been playing, and he was doing fairly well.

 

He wondered absently when Michael would kick him out for the night. Everyone else had gone home a while ago, and he didn’t really want to go home, but he was sure Michael would want to go to sleep pretty soon, since it was a school night.

 

As if on cue, Michael walked back in and plopped down on the beanbag chair beside the one Rich was sitting in. “Ready to get back into it?”   
  
“Oh hell yeah I am,” Rich smiled.

 

Michael un-paused the game, and they continued their race. “Hey, Mikey, when are you kicking me out?”

 

“Huh? Oh, I dunno, whenever you wanna leave I guess.”

 

“What if I don’t want to leave?”   


“Then you can stay the night.”

 

Well.  
  
Rich hadn’t been expecting that.

 

“Dude, are you sure? It’s a school night, will your parents be okay with that?”

 

“Sure, Jeremy used to stay over all the time. No big deal.”

 

Rich smiled. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer, then.”

 

\--

 

After another hour of gaming, both boys could barely keep their eyes open. Michael finally shut off the console. “C’mon, Rich, time for bed.”

 

“Fine, if you insist,” he yawned, “so where am I sleeping?”

 

“Well, Jere and I used to just sleep together in my bed, but it’s cool if you wouldn’t be comfortable doing that, I think I’ve got an air mattress-“   


“Don’t worry about that, your bed sounds fine.” Rich smiled, noticing the deep blush across Michael’s face despite the dim lighting.

 

Michael had been in his pajamas from the start of the hangout session, a pair of Nintendo-themed pajama pants and an A-shirt, so he flopped down on the bed, and patted the spot beside him. Rich hesitated. He was in jeans, and a tank top typical of his style, but he wasn’t too comfortable sleeping in a lot of clothes because the burns were still sensitive – but it’d be weird if he stripped down to his boxers to join Michael in bed.. right?

 

Michael cut into his thoughts, sensing his hesitation. “Rich? You alright, buddy? I can get that air mattress, really-“   
  
“It’s not that, Mikey, I just don’t have anything to sleep in, y’know? Jeans aren’t the comfiest thing to wear to bed.”

 

“Oh, is that all? Dude, just strip, I don’t care if you’re in your underwear or anything. Or I could probably offer you some sweatpants, but they might be a little long on you.”

 

Michael always seemed to know exactly what to say. Rich grinned. But now, he hesitated for a new reason – he hadn’t shown anyone the extent of his scars before, not really. Everyone had seen the ones on his arms, but he hadn’t taken his shirt off in front of anyone since the fire. He took a breath. “Just.. uh.. don’t be too freaked out, alright?”

 

“Why would I be freaked ou-“

 

Rich pulled his shirt off, and Michael shut up. The scars on his chest and back were _much_ worse than the ones on his arms – they were deeper, and darker, and it looked like they had to _hurt_. Michael felt sick.

 

Rich slipped off his pants, too, and Michael looked him over, stunned.

 

Rich just saw Michael staring, and he blushed. He interjected playfully, hoping to cut the tension a bit. “Hey, Michael, I know you probably can’t resist these sweet guns,” he flexed his arms to emphasize his point, “but you don’t have to stare.”

 

Michael laughed, looking away. “Sorry, dude, didn’t mean to stare, you’re right, you’re just too gorgeous.”

 

Rich blushed deeper hearing that.

 

_Why’d I have to tease him in a way that’d make him flirt with me, shit!_

Rich steeled himself, and climbed into bed beside Michael.  
  
“Alright, but, for real dude.. are you, like.. okay? That looks like it hurts, a lot.”

 

“It uh, it does. I’m on some pretty strong painkillers.” He laid back, looking at the ceiling of Michael’s basement bedroom. There were posters tacked up there, but it was too dark to see what they were.

 

“Hey, man, I’m.. I’m really sorry.” There was a sadness in Michael’s voice that broke Rich’s heart.

 

“What do you have to be sorry for?” He looked over at the taller boy. The sad look in his eyes was almost too much to bear, but Rich didn’t let himself look away.

 

“Not like, ‘I’m sorry’, but like, I feel bad for you, man. That must suck, I just.. you shouldn’t have to suffer like that.”

 

God, Michael was sweet. Rich felt like he didn’t deserve his kindness.

 

After a pause, Rich spoke. “Michael?”

 

“Yeah, Rich?”

 

“Do you.. are you still in love with Jeremy?”

 

Michael blushed.

 

“You uh, don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to, I just-“

 

“No, Rich, it’s okay. I think I still like him, sure, I have for a long time, and I don’t know if it’ll be easy for me to just get over him, but.. well, why do you ask?”

 

Rich hesitated. It’d be easy to play it off, to tell him he was just curious, make up some excuse, but looking into Michael’s tired eyes, after their game session, lying in his bed like this, all he could think about was how he never wanted this feeling to end. And how maybe, it never had to. That thought gave him the confidence to keep going.

 

“Just, y’know, because, I was wondering, if uh. Maybe you’d like to go out with me?”

 

Michael blinked. “Rich, if this is a joke-“  
  
Rich’s stomach dropped. “Why would you think I was joking?” There was a softness in his voice. Michael felt bad assuming it was a joke, he’d seen how Rich had been looking at him lately, and he would be lying if he said he hadn’t been hoping.

 

“I uh, because, I’ve.. never been asked out before, unless it was as a joke.”   


“What? Who asked you out as a joke, I’ll fucking kill them-“

 

“Rich, okay, wait, we’re getting off topic here- I-“ Michael paused to take a breath.

 

Rich watched him expectantly, hopefully. His heart was racing. It’d never been this _hard_ , this anxiety-inducing to admit his feelings to someone. He’d never done anything like this without help from the Squip, and he’d never feared rejection when he wasn’t really all that into any of the girls the Squip had talked him into having sex with.

 

“You’re.. you’re really serious?” Michael looked just as nervous as he was. Just as _scared_ as he was.

 

“Of course I am. I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

 

Michael looked down at the bed, up into Rich’s eyes, off to the side briefly, and back to Rich, with a look of determination.

 

“Hell yeah I’ll go out with you, Rich.”

 

“Oh, thank god, I thought you were gonna turn me down to keep chasing Jeremy or something-“

 

“I gotta get over his straight ass eventually, right? Besides, I- I really do like you, Rich.”

 

“I like you too, you nerd.”

 

Michael laughed, that beautiful laugh, music to Rich’s ears. And he smiled, that beautiful smile, that Rich could get lost in forever. And Rich felt like he’d gone over the moon.

 

They fell asleep there together in each other’s arms, and for the first time since the fire, Rich got a full night’s sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading! sorry if it's a mess, this was written in a day. no one beta'd this either, just me reading it a thousand times until my brain went numb, so please let me know if you find any typos, or if anything sounds awkward. I know the ending's kinda lame but it's all I had left. 
> 
> please leave a comment if you liked it! i really appreciate any feed back.


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